Whine No More
Folc4evernaday
Part 7
***
Later that morning Lois stepped into the newsroom, praying Perry didn’t ask her where Clark was. She wasn’t sure she could give a very good excuse right now. Hopefully his meeting with Constance this morning didn’t take too long. She still had to clean up their copy for Perry to look over on last night’s adventure. She glanced at the time. ‘10:30.’ She was more than late. Surely Perry would notice. He noticed everything.
She had stopped by the courthouse this morning to see what she could find out about Calvin Dreggs from the Solicitor’s office. From what she’d found it looked like this Calvin guy was a litigious dirt bag that made his money from suing everyone he could.
“Lois! Where have you been?” Perry hollered across the newsroom as she laid the copies she’d made from the courthouse on her desk. “Get in here!” He pointed to his office.
She sighed, bringing the file she was reading with her as she closed the door to Perry’s office, “Um, what’s up, Chief, I’m kinda swamped this morning…” She said impatiently.
“You’re kinda swamped? I’m out two of my best reporters this morning. Where’ve you been all morning?”
“Uh, courthouse,” She said, patting the folder in her hand, “What’s up?”
“Where’s Clark?” Perry asked.
“He, um….” Come on, Lane, think. Unable to think of a better excuse she opted to go with the truth….or a modified version of it. “….was meeting with Superman’s attorney this morning to help with strategy and get some quotes for our follow-up,” She said weakly. ‘Not a complete lie.’
“Oh, okay,” Perry said gruffly. “Superman found himself an attorney? That’s good news. Who did he go with if you don’t mind my asking?”
“Um, Constance Hunter…” Lois said, hurriedly as she flipped through the copy of the judgment in front of her on Dreggs vs. Nell. Settlement after settlement. Not many of these cases made their way inside a courtroom. What was different now?
“I thought she couldn’t take his case?” Perry asked, confused.
“Um, she changed her mind when he begged for her help. She couldn’t say no to pathetic…” She said hurriedly before she realized what just came out of her mouth, “I, uh…I mean….” She stammered as Perry gave her a funny look. “Do me a favor Chief and please forget I just said that?”
He looked at her with a smile and nodded, “Said what?”
“Thanks. You’re the best,” She grinned.
“Where’s that piece on Intergang? I know you two were working late last night…” Perry drawled.
Lois could feel her cheeks burning, and she glanced toward Clark’s desk through the window of Perry’s office unconsciously as he spoke, recalling the ‘work’ they had been focused on last night. ‘I’m never going to be able to look at that desk the same ever again,’ She thought to herself.
“Lois?” Perry called her name, trying to get her attention. “Are you all right?”
“Fine,” She stammered, “I’m just…trying to finish this research on this Dreggs guy so we can help Superman. I’ll get that story to you in a sec,” She said, hollering over her shoulder as she left his office.
Thankfully when she left Perry’s office, she spotted Clark descending the steps from the balcony into the bull pen. She gave him a smile, and he gave her a force half-smile. ‘Uh-oh. That’s not good,’ She thought to herself as he approached her desk. “Morning,” She smiled at him.
He leaned in to kiss her, “Morning,”
“Bad?” She asked. She already knew the answer.
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Constance said Superman needs character witnesses and witnesses from what happened that day at the fair. She said that based on everything he doesn’t really have a case but Barker is a slime-ball that doesn’t play fair, so there’s no telling which way the judge will rule. And if she rules against *Superman* then that’ll just open up whole other can of worms with the line of people waiting to sue him.” He sighed, “Sorry for dumping all this on you. It’s just…”
“I know,” She reached out to grab his hand. “It’s fine.” She pulled out the file she had been looking at earlier, “By the way, after breakfast, I stopped at the courthouse to talk to the Solicitor’s office about this Calvin Dreggs…see if there’s anything on him we might be able to use. That sort of thing?”
He nodded, “Find anything useful?”
“I don’t know,” She said, “He's got quite a record back in London. Loved to sue people. Loved to get sued so he could counter-sue. Now I think that establishes a real pattern...” She stopped when she noticed Clark shaking his head. “What?”
“It would if it were admissible,” Clark sighed.
“You can’t use this? It proves he’s vindictively litigious…” She began to argue.
He sighed, “I wish we could, Lois, but…” He stopped when he spotted Scardino coming towards them, “Oh, no. I am not in the mood to deal with Inspector Gadget…” He muttered.
She looked up to see Dan Scardino approaching them with a file in hand, “Dan? What are you doing here?”
He waved the file in his hand, “You two cut out of there last night before you could give your official statements. Told my Sargent I’d get the report to him by noon, so here I am…” He shrugged handing them two forms to fill out with their statement.
They nodded, taking the forms and filling them out with their corresponding stories about what happened, keeping out the part about Lois’ confrontation with Dan to protect both her and Dan from any further investigation by the higher ups. “Here ya go,” Lois said, handing the form back to him. Clark finished his and handed it to him as well.
He nodded his thanks and turned to leave but stopped himself, “Listen, about last night, I think I owe you both an apology.”
Lois looked at him with an arched eyebrow, “Just one?”
“Okay, Lois, I’m sorry for calling you a ‘paparazzi.’ It was uncalled for. I lost my head,” Dan began.
Lois twisted her mouth for a moment, “Sorry for calling you a ‘jackass’ even though you were acting like one,” She added.
Clark glared at her, “Lo-is,”
“What?” Lois shot back, “You weren’t there…”
Dan smiled between the two of them, “It’s okay. I deserve it.” He then glanced at Lois sheepishly then turned back to Clark, “Look, Kent, I think maybe we didn’t get off on the right foot, but I’m really not as big of a ‘jackass’” He looked pointedly at Lois before continuing, “as I may have…. acted.” He cleared his throat as Lois looked at Scardino with a smug grin, “And maybe you’re not what I thought you were either…” He cleared his throat again. “What I’m trying to say is…”
“Yes?” Lois asked, arching her eyebrow at him, daring him to say the wrong thing.
“I’m sorry. There’s obviously a lot more to you than meets the eye. No more unannounced visits or sticking my nose in where it doesn’t belong, I promise.” He finished.
Clark looked at him for a moment before extending his hand to shake Dan Scardino’s. “I appreciate that Dan,”
Dan nodded, “You and Lois are pretty good at your jobs. Olsen too. Maybe if we put our heads together, we can try and nab Intergang together?”
Clark chuckled, “I’d like that,”
Dan then turned back to Lois, “I am really sorry about the way I was acting. I guess I didn’t handle rejection as gracefully as I should have. I hope eventually we can be friends,”
“We’ll have to see,” Lois said, leaning back against her chair as she grew thoughtful. “For now, colleagues?” She said, extending her hand to shake his.
“Colleagues,” He nodded his agreement. “And…you know I really appreciate you guys not blowing the whistle on me with my Sargent. I could have seriously been in major hot water over what happened and….Well, if you need anything let me know,”
Lois was thoughtful for a moment before calling out to him, “Hey Dan?” He turned back to look at her, “There is one thing you could help with…”
“Name it,” He shrugged.
“You heard about this Dreggs guy that’s suing Superman?” Lois prompted. Dan nodded. “Well, Superman’s gonna need all the help he can get. Character witnesses the whole works. Would you be willing to help him out?”
“No problem,” He smiled back, “I’d be honored. He’s helped me out of enough jams these past few weeks…I figure I owe him.”
“I’m sure he’d appreciate any help he can get right now,” Clark smiled back at him.
***
Later that evening in the visitor’s room Bill Church Jr sat in the corner of the darkened room waiting patiently. The door opened, and Charles Knox entered, looking grim when he saw Bill Church Jr. waiting for him, “Mr. Church? To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Calm down, Knox, I’m not here to kill you,” Bill Jr said with a smile.
Knox visibly relaxed, taking a seat across from him, “Okay, what’s this about?”
“Social call.” He said firmly. “The, uh, Sargent at the DEA is an old golfing friend of dad’s. He seems to have ‘lost’ your paperwork so unfortunately, they won’t be able to charge you….” Knox smiled broadly when Bill Jr. gave him the news, “…but there’s a catch,” He added. “He could always ‘find’ that paperwork again Knox.”
“Yes, Mr. Church,” Knox nodded.
“You’ll have to disappear,” Bill Jr said grimly, “but before you do…” He laid a copy of the Metropolis Star on the table for him. “We have something we need to discuss,”
“SuperBully Meets Super Jury?” Knox read the headline.
“Read the next line,” Bill Jr. instructed.
“Star Reporters and DEA Come to Superman’s Defense?” Knox read.
“Exactly!” Bill Jr. continued, “Now, wouldn’t it be ironic if something happened to them right under Superman’s nose? Might put the last nail in the coffin of his career?”
“Yes, yes it would…” Knox nodded.
“Transportation will be here when you get released. We’ll talk details over drinks,” Bill Jr. said as he stood up.
“Yes, Mr. Church,” Knox nodded. “Thank you,”
“Oh, and Knox?” Bill Jr. called over his shoulder.
“Yes?”
“Don’t screw up again. I’d hate to have to …. replace…you after all that hard work and training,”
“Yes, sir,” Knox nodded.
***
That evening Lois and Clark continued going over everything they’d found out about Calvin Dreggs hoping they’d find something that could be used in court the next day. The Kents had insisted on staying at a hotel to ‘give them their privacy’ as Martha had put it, causing Clark to turn fifty shades of red at the time. Lois had just laughed it off, trying to keep him focused on the task at hand, getting Dreggs claims thrown out of court.
“Don’t you find it odd that this is the ONE case Calvin Dreggs isn’t willing to settle out of court on?” Lois asked, pointing to the list of cases he’d settled with.
Clark took the list from her, “Let me see that,” She handed him the list and he scanned it, looking to see if he could find something in common. “This list of companies he’s sued. Looks pretty familiar….REALLY familiar.” He grew thoughtful for a moment before a light bulb went off in his mind and he recalled where he’d seen those names before. “O’Neal Industries, Bayview Finance, Metropolis Waste Disposal, Armstrong Capital Group, Advanced Digital Processing…”
“Clark, what are you…?” Lois began to ask as he got up from the couch and started sifting through files on his desk.
“My file on Luthor,” He said grimly, pulling out a very thick manila folder from the file.
“Lex? What does that have to do with…?” She began to ask when he started pulling out reports on company acquisitions, each one matching the names he’d just listed off.
“LexCorp,” He said grimly. “All of these companies this guy has been suing bought at least one piece of LexCorp after he jumped last year.”
“Looks like Lex has gotten creative with his attacks on his enemies,” Lois sighed, running her hand through her hair. “Clark, you don’t think that…”
“That he set up the whole thing, so Calvin Dreggs had an excuse to sue Superman? I wouldn’t put anything past him,” He spat bitterly. She let out a long breath, cradling her head in her hands and he placed a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. “Lois?” She didn’t say anything, and he moved a little closer, wrapping his arm around her in a hug, “This is just what he does. He finds a weak spot and attacks. Don’t worry…I’m sure we’ll be able to beat this and then turn this over to the DA to add a couple of extra hundred years to Luthor’s nine-hundred-year sentence.”
She laughed at that, sitting up, “It’s not that.”
He looked at her in concern, seeing the pained expression, “What is it?”
“It’s just another reminder at how…
STUPID I was back then.” She remarked resentfully.
“Lois, you are not stupid,” He admonished.
“Aren’t I?” She questioned, “I spent the good part of a year getting played like a fiddle, unable to see what was right in front of me for so long…”
“He is a master of deception,” Clark added. “How long had he been running his criminal organization without anyone being the wiser?
DECADES. He had judges, the mayor, the district attorney…All of them were fooled.”
“Not you,” She accused, folding her arms over her chest, “You never trusted him.”
He gave her a half-smile, “He got my attention by pointing the Macedonian sword of Alexander the Great at my throat when we first met that night. Something in his eyes gave away to something…I wasn’t sure at the time. It wasn’t until we were kidnapped by Baines and she used the same phrase as Luthor ‘higher ground’ that I began putting the pieces together.” He moved to cup her cheek, tilting her head to look at him, “Lois, you are the smartest woman I know. Don’t ever question that.” He leaned in to kiss her.
“Really?” She asked, looking up at him hesitantly, “Then how come you were able to fool me for almost
three years with a pair of glasses?”
“That one’s simple. People see what they want to see.” He leaned in to kiss her once more, and she grinned back at him.
“I guess you’re right,” She sighed happily, wrapping her arms around his neck as she leaned back against the cushions of his couch, pulling him with her.
“I have to be,” He teased, leaning in to kiss her again, “I’m Superman, remember?”
She laughed, swatting his chest lightly, “How could I forget?”
He readjusted himself, so he was lying next to her on the couch rather than on top of her, then reached over to stroke her jawline with his hand, cupping her cheek, “Thank you,”
“For what?” She asked.
“Everything,” He whispered, “Helping me with all this. I don’t know how I would have gotten through all this without you. The fact that you were able to forgive me…”
She grinned back at him, “Well, what can I say, you made some very
persuasive points.”
“I love you, Lois, more than words could ever say,” He leaned in to kiss her, and she smiled against him, linking her arms around his neck as she dipped her tongue into his mouth and the intensity of the kiss turned deep and hungry.
“I love you too, Clark” she whimpered against his lips as one kiss became another and another, melting into a fiery inferno of desire as their hands roamed aimlessly up one another, seeking the feeling of skin beneath their fingertips. The need to feel her skin against his became too much for him, and at super-speed he whisked them into the bedroom, laying her on the bed with him.
“Lois, I love you. I always have.” He murmured as he began a heated trail of feather light kisses down her chest, unbuttoning layer after layer of skin with his hungry exploration of her body.
“I love you, Clark…for so long….” She reached beneath the hem of his t-shirt, pushing it up over his head. He helped her to disentangle him from the garment, tossing it to the floor before turning his attention back to Lois who was watching him with darkened eyes of desire, “Shirts are so overrated,”
“I couldn’t agree more,” He whispered, pressing his lips against her navel as he finished unbuttoning her blouse the rest of the way down. She giggled, shrugging the blouse off her shoulders as she reached between their bodies. “Oh, Lois…”
She pushed him back on the bed, kicking her jeans off before climbing on top of him, whispering heated lips against his chest, “I love you.” He watched her in admiration, mesmerized by the sight of her in nothing but a pair of pink panties and matching lace bra as she teased his pectorals with her tongue. “So…gorgeous,” She murmured as her hand brushed against the waistband of his shorts.
“Breathtaking,” He breathed as he felt her wrap her arms around him, “So…so…breath-taking,” Her lips grazed against his pectorals, teasing him lightly with her tongue before moving to the other. “Oh, honey,” He let out a soft moan, and she tightened her grasp on him, eliciting a sharp gasp as his hips lifted off the mattress involuntarily.
She lifted her head up to look at him as she worked to free him from his remaining clothing, “Honey? That’s a new one,” She murmured, leaning up to kiss him, freeing him from her grasp as she finished tugging his shorts and briefs over his hips.
“There’s a list,” He murmured against her lips, flicking the clasp to her bra, watching in awe as the soft lace fell from her shoulders.
“A list?” She laughed as he began to nibble at her earlobe, tugging on it seductively with his teeth as he moaned agreement.
“Sweetheart,” He whispered. “Darling,” His teeth grazed lightly over the pulse of her throat, nibbling on the sensitive skin seductively. Her fingers wrapped around the back of his neck, fingering his hairline as she breathed his name in pleasure. “My little ….tornado,”
“How long is this list?” She questioned breathlessly.
“It’s a work in progress. I haven’t perfected it yet,” He nibbled at her collarbone as he spoke, slipping his hands down to her waist.
“How long does it take to…Oh!” She gasped as he slipped his index finger inside her panties, teasing her swollen nub as he watched her eyes darken with desire from his ministrations.
“For you, Lois, it takes a lifetime,” He whispered before leaning up to capture her lips with his.
“Promise?” She murmured against his lips, devouring him with her mouth.
“Promise,” He repeated solemnly, “I’ll love you forever.” He said in-between heated kisses before rolling them over, so he was hovering above her. The world around them slowly disassembled, and the only thing he could hear, touch, or feel was the woman he loved in his arms. After what seemed like an eternity, the world slowly came back into focus as he rolled onto his side, holding her to him.
***
Lois stared up at the ceiling in a daze, feeling her mind slowly come back into focus after their recent lovemaking. She glanced over at Clark who had a sloppy grin on his face as he stared at the ceiling as well. She couldn’t help but laugh.
“What’s so funny?” He asked.
“Me,” She sighed happily. “I went years without sex; now I can’t even go twenty-four hours without….” She let out a long sigh, “Where did you learn to do that?”
“Do what?” He asked.
“Make love like that,” She breathed. “You never miss your aim.” She grinned up at him lazily as she added, “Remind me to thank whoever taught you that,”
His face grew thoughtful for a moment, and she looked at him curiously, “You’d have to be thanking yourself then,”
“What?”
He cupped her cheek and whispered, “You’re my one and only, Lois,”
Realization began to dawn on her, and she summarized, “So, before the other night you were a…” She stopped, frowning over the revelation, “Then how?”
“Intuition, books, and a healthy use of super-hearing,” He whispered, accentuating each point with a kiss.
“Super-hearing?” She asked.
“When you’re really enjoying yourself your heart rate picks up,” He murmured, leaning in to kiss her collarbone. “Like this,” He moved his head higher, brushing his lips against her neck, “and this.” She giggled as he nuzzled her ear, tugging at it gently with his teeth.
She sighed happily, “And to think I wasted all that time stressing about that first date for nothing,”
“Is that why I had a door slammed in my face?” He asked half-joking.
She grinned, “I didn’t trust myself,”
“Really?” He asked intrigued, propping his head up on his shoulder.
She swatted at him, “Six months of denial does that,” She retorted, drawing random patterns on his chest as she spoke.
“I think it was longer than six months,” He argued. “I seem to recall someone showing up at my apartment in a harem costume…” He wiggled his eyebrows at her, “….doing the dance of the seven veils.”
“I was drugged!” She swatted him.
“You’re lucky I wasn’t,” He laughed.
“Why?” She teased.
He moaned, growing thoughtful as he spoke, “Remember when you sat on my desk in that skirt with a slit than ran all the way up your thigh? If I’d been drugged like everyone else, you wouldn’t have made it off my desk without losing some articles of clothing…No scratch that. You just wouldn't have made it off my desk.”
She laughed at the memory, “I was so blind back then…” She moved her hand to stroke his cheek, “It took me being drugged to admit how I felt,”
“Oh, you mean how there was an,” He placed a kiss on her forehead, “eensy,” then moved to her nose, “weensy,” he kissed her left cheek, “microscopic,” he kissed her right cheek, “highly unlikely,” he nibbled at her earlobe, “unmotivated,” he tugged at her earlobe with his teeth, “unrealistic,” He whispered in her ear, “attraction to me.” He finished, leaning in to kiss her.
“Do you remember everything I say?” She asked embarrassed.
He nodded, “It’s the curse of having a photographic memory I’m afraid,”
She laughed, “At least you can’t ever forget anniversaries,”
“Nope, our almost-first date…February 12th. Our actual first date …one month after that, March 12th.” He recalled lazily, brushing her hair out of her face as he spoke.
“It took us a month to go out?” Lois laughed, “Oy…”
“You were worth the wait,” He whispered.
“So were you,” She smiled back at him, leaning in to kiss him.
***
The next day Lois found herself seated in the gallery of the courtroom, watching Clark from afar as he fought to defend his name against the likes of Calvin Dreggs. She, Perry, Dan, and Jimmy had been called to testify to what they saw that day at the street fair. It should have been an open and shut case, but Barry Barker was as slimy an attorney as they came. He was doing everything he could to make Superman out to be some kind of miscreant on society for intervening to save Calvin’s life.
“Where’s Clark?” Perry asked, looking around the crowd of people around them in neck braces, slings and bandages, “Oh, brother…”
“He’s at the DA’s office checking out a connection to this Dreggs guy and a couple of theories we were throwing around last night,” Lois said hurriedly, looking away so Perry couldn’t see she wasn’t being completely honest with him. She glanced back at the gallery in disgust, “Look at this... the next wave of injured plaintiffs.” She cast a sympathetic look towards Clark who was in the Superman suit with Constance at the defendant’s table watching as Elise Carr was sworn in. Who knew what the woman would say?
“Amazing. Superman's spent his whole career fighting mega-criminals, and he's getting brought down by a mealy-mouthed talk show whiner and his sycophantic mouthpiece.” Lois muttered in disgust.
Perry shook his head, glancing around the room in disapproval, “Says just a little too much about the society we live in right now.”
Lois nodded turning her attention to Elise who was testifying about Calvin’s injuries, “…and Calvin hasn't been able to use his hand since.”
Barker embellished each statement, looking at the jury as he spoke, “Completely paralyzed?”
Lois rolled her eyes in disgust, waiting for some hope that Elise would correct him but she didn’t. “Yes. Completely.”
“That lying no good…” Lois muttered under her breath.
“Shhh…” Jimmy warned, placing a hand on hers to calm her down.
“And what about his moods?” Barker prompted, giving Elise a look as if he was coaching her in her testimony.
“Oh, they're... mmmm, they're bad...” Elise continued, looking toward Barker and Calvin at the Plaintiff table, “um, he's not himself.”
“Probably a welcome change,” Lois muttered. Perry gave her a warning glare, and she sighed, crossing her arms over her chest, “I smell ham…” She glanced toward Elise and Calvin, “and cheese.”
***
Charles Knox stood in the hallway of the courtroom, watching as different individuals left the courtroom, making way for him to drop off his package for Superman. “Are you sure this will work? It can’t look like those reporters are the only target…”
The hired hit man smiled back at him, patting the steel case in his hand, “It's silent, no moving parts, just two globs of liquid C-12, separated by this little piece of plastic. Start your acid eating through and in five minutes, whammo. Always wanted to try this little sucker... right under Superman's nose.”
“Just do it,” Knox ordered, motioning for him to enter the courtroom with the case.
***
Lois caught Elise by the arm before she could leave the courtroom, “Can I ask you a question? How can you sit there and lie on the stand for a man that won’t even admit that he’s married to you?”
Elise looked at her in surprise, “You….How did you…?”
She didn’t give Elise a chance to voice her questions, outraged at her attempt to sully Clark’s good name, “The kind of degradation you’ll tolerate in your personal life is your business, but you’re ruining an innocent man and I’m not going to sit by and do nothing while you….”
“Leave me alone,” Elise began to walk away.
Angered by her lack of empathy Lois called out, “He doesn’t love you, Elise.” Elise stopped, staring at the doors to the courtroom, but still not turning to face her. “You can tell when a man loves you by the way he treats you, by the way, he looks at you, by the way, he…”
Elise turned around, cutting her off, “Look, Miss?” She looked at her for a name.
Lois sighed, “Lane, Lois Lane,” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Miss Lane, if you’ve found the perfect man then I’m happy for you but Calvin and I…”
Lois shook her head, “No, he’s about as far from perfect as you can get, but I’ll tell you the difference between him and Calvin…I know that he wants my happiness more than his own.” She gave a soft smile as she continued, “I can feel it every second I’m with him, and every second I’m not with him. Love is complicated and messy, but it’s never hard…at least not when it’s right. When it’s right, it’s never as hard as Calvin is making it for you. One day he’ll prove just how wrong he is …in a very ugly way and…”
Elise tearfully turned away from her, running past a tall man in a business suit, carrying a metal case. She sighed, looking around the empty courtroom. Maybe she could try and find Clark and update him on what she’d found out at the District Attorney’s office earlier.
***
Clark sat outside the courthouse, cradling his head in his hands exhausted from the court proceedings from the day. A small voice broke his thoughts, “You look sad, Superman,”
He looked up and saw a little girl no more than five years old in pig tails and a violet jumper staring at him. He smiled at her, “I’ll, uh, I’ll be fine.” He tried to reassure her even though he wasn’t so sure himself.
“Want a hug?” She asked with a grin.
“Sure,” He nodded.
She looped her arms around his neck and gave him a big hug, patting him on the shoulder before giving him a peck on the cheek, “Don’t be Mr. Gloomy Pants,”
“I’ll try,” He reassured her, watching as she turned to skip away back to her mother who was waiting for her.
“Careful,” Lois said from behind him, “I might get jealous.”
He looked around, “Lois, what are you doing here? I thought you weren’t testifying until this afternoon.”
She shrugged, “I couldn’t stay away,” She said, taking a seat next to him.
“Thanks for coming,” He said.
“What are friends for?” She asked, placing a hand on his chest for a moment before pulling it away.
He turned away, trying to keep his demeanor around her professional since he was still in the suit, “I can’t believe he got her to lie like that on the stand,”
“I found a few extra witnesses if you’d like to add them to the witness list…which I checked. You can add them because they were in the original discovery.” She added before he could argue. He looked at her curiously, and she continued, “The ER doctor that treated Calvin and the intake nurse are both willing to testify the injury was a sprain; not a break as this other doctor is saying.”
“That’s great,” He smiled.
“And the DA had a special room ready for Calvin when the case is finished. He’s waiting for this to get settled then he’ll come in and make a big stink,”
He smiled, “You’re amazing.”
“Oh, if Perry asks. That’s where you were all day.” She added. Recalling the excuse she gave their editor.
“DA’s office,” He nodded. “Got it.” He stood up, spotting everyone heading back inside the courtroom. “I guess it’s time to head back inside.”
***
After a long line of his friends and his former competitor, Dan Scardino gave testimony of what they witnessed at the street fair on Sunday afternoon Superman was called to the stand. Lois watched in rapt attention as Constance paced in front of the witness stand, “Sitting here, listening to all this demining testimony, I’d like to know…why do you want to BE Superman? It seems to me it’s never offered you much but exposure to danger and ridicule…”
Clark caught Lois’ gaze for a moment before turning to Constance, “No, that’s not true.”
“Explain?” Constance prompted.
Clark nodded, “All the things I can do…the powers I have…All my life, I’ve asked myself a thousand times, why? And the only answer I could come up with is to help. As quickly and decisively as possible. Maybe because of that, I’ve become a target…”
Lois nodded her encouragement as he continued, mouthing ‘you can do this’,
“People I care about…friends I’ve come to rely on have been put in danger because of their relationship with me, greedy opportunists try and take advantage of my good will,” He cast a glance toward Calvin and Barker at the Plaintiff table continuing, “…but when I save a life…in that instance I know two things most people will never figure out: why I’m here and how I can make a difference.”
A smug smile crossed Constance’s face as she turned to Barker, “Your witness,”
Clark cocked his head, sniffing the air. Lois could hear Calvin mutter, “Fry him,” from the plaintiff table.
“In hot oil, kid,” Barker snapped before standing up to address the court, giving a fake applause, “Well, that was a heart-rending speech. Can I get anybody a tissue?”
Something was burning. She sniffed the air. Clark seemed to smell it too. “Do you smell something?” He asked, rising from the witness stand.
“What?” Barker scoffed.
“I’ve smelled it before…” Clark explained.
“Your Honor…” Barker began to argue.
Clark cut him off, walking down the aisle sniffing as he spoke, “I’m sorry your Honor, but I think what I’m smelling is C-12, it’s an explosive…” He approached the bar, stepping into the gallery and looked down, searching for the source. “and it’s burning somewhere …”
“Oh, please, this is the most disgraceful form of courtroom theatrics I've ever witnessed.” Barker continued, following Clark into the gallery as he followed the smell of the burning explosives.
Lois stood up in outrage, “Listen to him!”
“I suppose next you'll tell us we're all going to die.” Barker mocked him.
Perry stood up, “Hey! Hey! Hey! Mister, if you don't back off and let the man do his job, you're gonna be suing me for assault!”
Barker looked around the courtroom, “I hope everyone heard that!”
Calvin raised his hand, “I did!”
“Naturally,” Jimmy muttered.
“Superman, should we evacuate the building?” Lois asked. He was still scanning the gallery for the bomb.
He shook his head, “Everyone stay calm, I think... yes, it's right...” He pulled out a metal case from beneath Dan’s seat, “…here.”
“Oh, my God…” Elise gasped, covering her mouth as Clark opened the case to reveal the bubbling and smoking bomb from within. Shouts echoed through the room and at super-speed Clark flew the bomb out of the courtroom, crashing through the ceiling. Plaster from the ceiling fell around the courtroom. Some of it landed on the Plaintiff table where Calvin was sitting.
Lois watched in disgust as Barker nudged Calvin and the con-artist began faking another injury right before their eyes. “My eyes! Something’s happened to my eyes!” He reached out his arm to feel the air in front of him.
Barker swooped in, “Calvin, are you all right? Someone get a doctor!”
The sound of an enormous blast echoed from above. The smell of burning chemicals filled the air as Clark returned, carrying the burnt case in his hand, landing in front of Dan. Dan looked at the case glumly, “If I had to guess I’d say that was meant for me…”
Clark nodded, “Agent Scardino, you should have your men at the lab take a look at this…” He handed him the burnt case. Dan nodded, taking it from him and walking out of the courtroom as he pulled out his phone to dial.
Lois pushed through the crowd that had begun to form at the bar of the courtroom, “Superman are you all right?”
Before he could respond, Calvin began shouting, “I..I can’t see..the dust in my eyes…Oh, dear Lord…,I’m BLIND!! BLIND!!”
Lois rolled her eyes, fuming at the depths with which this man was willing to stoop to discredit Clark. Barker interjected, “Is there no end to the suffering Superman causes??”
“Calvin, SHUT UP!” Elise hollered across the courtroom. Lois grinned, seeing Clark’s surprised look before turning back to Elise who was standing in front of Calvin in anger. Calvin tried to shush her, motioning her to sit down. But it was too late. She was on a roll, “I have had it with you, Calvin! We'd be DEAD if it wasn't for Superman! And there's nothing wrong with your eyes, except you can’t see anything but yourself!”
Barker tried to backtrack, “Your Honor this witness has been excused…”
Elise reached over to rip off his sling, revealing a perfectly healed hand out of it's cast, “And your arm will be fine!” She turned to face the judge, “And he’ll play guitar just as lousy as he ever did! He just wanted the money, and he got me to lie for him!”
“Elise, honey…” Calvin tried to shush her once more.
“You don’t speak for me anymore, Calvin. I want a divorce…not that anyone ever knew we were married.” She added bitterly. Elise caught her gaze, and she gave her a nod of approval.
Constance turned to the judge, “Your Honor, in light of this new evidence...”
The judge nodded, “Save it, counselor.” She banged her gavel, “Case dismissed.”
“All right!” Jimmy cheered.
Lois patted Clark on the arm, “Congratulations!” She smiled at him, leaning in to give him a quick peck on the cheek, pulling away as she scanned the courtroom. This was another part of the secret identity thing that was hard. She wanted to hug him and never let go but she couldn’t. Not with everyone staring.
“Do you need a lawyer?” Barker called out, chasing Elise across the aisle.
Lois laughed, watching the scene unfold. A crowd of officers entered the courtroom with Inspector Henderson standing in the middle holding a warrant, “Calvin Dreggs, I have a warrant for your arrest.”
“On what grounds?” Calvin argued.
“Malicious litigations, falsifying a police report, conspiracy to extort…” Henderson listed off the charges.
“Barry! Barry! Barry!” Calvin called out for help.
“Sorry kid! Crime doesn’t pay!” Barker called out to him.
***
Lois sat in the gallery watching as the courtroom emptied itself, leaving Clark, herself and Ms. Hunter who was busy gathering her things. She walked over to them with a smile, “Looks like your losing streak is over. Ms. Hunter,”
Constance smiled back at her, “It didn't hurt that Superman here saved the judge's life... tends to make them more lenient.” She winked at Clark, patting his shoulder.
He smiled back at her, “Thank you for believing in me, Ms. Hunter,”
They shared a smile, and Constance sighed, “No, Superman, thank you,” She then headed out of the courtroom to address the media circus that was dying to know the outcome of the trial. She watched as Clark headed out with Constance to address the media and smiled to herself.
A tap on her shoulder made her turn around. She was surprised to find Elise standing there. She smiled at her, “Elise….” She gave her a sympathetic smile, “You did the right thing.”
She smiled, “Thanks,” She sighed then added, “I wanted to thank you. You didn’t even know me, and you and your boyfriend intervened to help the other day, then today…I’m sorry. I have no idea how I got talked into all this…”
Lois nodded her understanding, “Sometimes we lose sight of what the right thing to do is when it comes to the matters of the heart.”
Elise nodded, “I'm sort of looking forward to being single again... There’s a world of possibilities out there.”
“You’ll do fine. Just remember to find happiness with yourself first. You can’t expect anyone else to love you or make you happy if you can’t do the same.” Lois said softly, recalling the words of wisdom she’d received from her months of therapy after the fiasco with Lex and his ex-wife Arianna Carlin.
“I will,” She nodded, leaving Lois alone in the empty courtroom.
Two strong arms wrapped around her from behind and she sighed, “I’ve missed you!” She whispered, turning in his arms to hug him, linking her arms around his neck as she wrapped him up in a big hug.
“I’ve been wanting to do that since they called out the verdict,” He said, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace. “Thank you,”
She leaned up to kiss him, whispering in his ear, “Let’s get out of here,”
“Where do you want to go?”
“I have a few ideas…” She began slowly.
***
Lex Luthor walked into the visitor’s room, uncertain who had scheduled a visit to see him. He had been prying his brain all afternoon, but nothing had come to him. When he saw the familiar duo sitting at the table, he smiled to himself, “Lois, radiant as always!”
“Save it for the rats, Lex,” Lois snapped back, placing a copy of the afternoon edition on the table for him to read, ‘OMNICORP’S KNOX ARRESTED by Lois Lane and Clark Kent.’
He looked over at Clark Kent who was sitting at the table with his hands folded on the table staring him down, “Kent,” He said coolly. He noted how Lois shifted her chair closer to Clark and grimaced in disgust. Had he really fallen so far that she’d prefer Clark Kent’s company to his?
He picked up the paper uncertain what she wanted him to read, and she nodded, “Page 2B,”
“Calvin Dreggs Indicted On Conspiracy Charges?” Lex smoothed a smile on his face. “I’m not sure what this has to do with me,”
Clark shook his head, and Lois smiled, “Tsk Tsk Tsk you have been a naughty boy haven’t you, Lex?”
Clark Kent’s smile grew smug, “Let’s see, trying to sue your competitors out of business so you can buy back LexCorp….paying off a con-artist, chasing Intergang…” She shook her head as she listed off the points.
He did his best not to react, and Clark added, “Inspector Henderson caught your butler, Nigel trying to smuggle an unusual substance through customs last night.” He laid a photograph of the Kryptonite cage taken from Lex’s wine cellar and another photograph of the familiar green glowing meteorite he’d acquired from Devane. “Seems he doesn’t like the idea of the death penalty, so he’s singing like a canary on all your plans against Superman…including your attempted murder of him last year and all your racketeering crimes the Feds were unable to pin on you last year.”
Lois folded her arms over her chest staring him down, “You won’t see the outside of a prison for at least another hundred years…but that doesn’t matter to you does it?” She asked sweetly. “No, what is important to you is control…and power. Neither of which you’ll have after the IRS traces those wire transfers you used to pay Calvin,”
“Wha..?” He did his best not to react but found it difficult.
“You can’t do that.” He argued.
“I’m not doing a thing.” She shrugged. “It’s called justice.” With that, she stood up with Clark right behind her. He watched them through the top window of the door in agony as Lois pulled Kent to her by the tie, capturing his mouth in a heated embrace.
“Nooooo!” He growled, grabbing a chair and throwing it toward the steel door. How had this happened? How had he gone from the third-richest man in the world to a man rotting in a cage? If what they said was true… He would lose everything. Respect. Power. It would all be gone. He glared at the photos in front of him. How had he let that alien slip through his fingers?
***
“Did you see his face when he realized he was about to lose all his money?” Lois laughed as they exited the Metropolis Penitentiary.
Clark nodded, “I gotta admit I was skeptical when you first suggested this, but this was a really good idea.”
“I always have good ideas,” She sniffed.
“Uh-huh,” He looked at her skeptically.
She looked up at him with a smile, “In fact, I have a really good idea right now.”
“Oh, yeah?” He asked, “What’s that?”
“You remember that dance of the seven veils…” The sound of laughter could be heard in the evening sky as the familiar sonic boom echoed around Clinton Street.
The End….or the beginning? You decide.
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